Trestle leg assembly



A ril'zs, 1947. H, B, .M S 2,419,778

TREHSTLE LEG ASSEMBLY Filed'De. 29, 1945 Invenfor Hurry E- IH'IEE B "IO/1AM MM A I'TOR/VEY Patented Apr. 29, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRESTLEJ LEG ASSEMBLY Harry- B. Imes, Louisville, Ky; Mary W. Imes executrix of said Harry BJmes, deceased Application Dccemb'er'29, 1945', Serial No. 638,328

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a trestle leg assembly, and more particularly to an assembly of the foldable and portable type.

Prior trestle, or as more commonly known; horse constructions have been characterized by an inherent awkward shape and bulklness which has made them diflicult to move or store. By reason of the protruding legs, they have been: susceptible to breaking in handling. or moving, and

loosening of the joints thereof to an extent to such as a 2 x 4 timber to form an exceedingly rigid and strong trestle.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a novel trestle assembly of foldable char acter that may be quickly and easily unfolded and assembled in combination with a; like leg assembly and a suitable cross bar, the leg: assem" blies being so formed that the desired angular relations of the legs relative to both the longitue dinal axis of the cross bar and a: vertical plane passing therethrough are immediately and automatically determined without the necessity of any adjustment.

A further object of my invention is the provision ofa novel foldabletrestle leg assembly wherein a pair of leg members are pivotally con nected in association With a toggle assembly in a manner whereby the toggle assembly functions to cause the upper ends of the legs to rigidly grip a cross bar and to lock the assembly inthat position.

Other objects. and, advantages of my invention will appear from the following description and claims taken in connection with the attached drawing, wherein: I

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a trestle or horse employing preferred embodiments of the leg as semblies of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of one of the leg assemblies of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a. view similar to that of Fig. 2' with thaleg assembly shownin collapsed position.

Fig. 5 an exploded view of one leg showing the mechanism for varying the'effective lengthofthe leg.

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a detail illustrating themanner in which the cross-bar receiving members are preferably secured to the upper ends of the legs.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the detail of-iFig. 6:

Fig. dis a side elevationaofi a detail showingthe' manner'in which thepins. or rivets are preferably secured.

The preferred embodiment of my invention, as

illustrated herein, includes two legs l and 12,

preferably formed. ofichannel-shaped metal with: the open faces thereof facing inwardly as shown. in Fig. 2.

The upper-ends of the legs are connected by alink It which. is preferably connectedto leg H in fixed or non-pivotedrelation by two rivets or. pins l4, and. pivotally connected to leg l2? by a single pin or rivet l5 so that the legs are While pivotally mounted relative to'one another. a single pinv or rivet may be employed in leg H? in lieu of double pins M, it is preferred to fix the link to the leg in a predetermined angular relation as shown so that when: the assembly is-opened to the position shown in Fig. 2, the upper surface of the link is substantially horizontal and functions in part as a base for the supported' cross bar. I v

A toggle like assembly including links lfi and l'l; secured-respectively, to legs I2 and H by pins- !3 and I9 and secured together by pin 20, is mounted below link I3, the link ll being formed With astop lug. 2! so that when the legs are expanded and the toggle moved to the position showninFig. 2, the-lug 2 e11gages the upper surface of link It and the leg assembly'ispositively locked in position- Links t8 and l? are preferablyfornled of equal lengths between pins l8 and 8 and the connecting pin 20 to permit theassembly to-be compactly folded asshown in Fig. 4;

An angular shaped cro'ss-bar receiving mem ber' 22 is preferably secured to theup'per end of each: leg. above the pivotallink 93', preferably'in the manner shown: in" Figs. 6- and '7 Asshown, each-member includesa substantially vertical section or rail 23- and a horizontalsection or shelf 26 when viewed as-inFig. 2.- The central portion of the vertical face is preferably cutand bent rearwardlyto form/two rearwardly extending'ears' 25 which are spaced apart sufiiciently to fit snugly within thev adjacent. channel section of the' leg, the ears being secured against movement by a pin or rivet 25.

Referring to Fig. 3;.it wil1 be noted that the ears; 25 are" cut" at an angle such that when assembled with the upper end of the leg, section 24 lies in a plane at a predetermined angle to the plane passing through the longitudinal axes of the legs whereby the cross bar received therein when placed flush against section 24, automatically takes a predetermined angle with respect to the leg assembly such that the leg assembly is not vertical but at an angle from the vertical as shown in Fig. 1 to give added support to the assembly.

In forming the upper ends of each leg, the surface 21 is formed at an angle such that with the assembly expanded and the cross-bar receiving member 22 against surface 21 in flush relation, the section 23 of the member is in a substantially vertical position. Thus when the cross bar is brought flush against sections 23, the angular relation of each leg of the assembly relative to a vertical plane passing through the cross bar is predetermined.

In the folded position shown in Fig. 4, the cross-bar receiving members 22 are spaced apart as shown. However, it will be noted that the member 22 fixed to leg H has its section 24 substantially flush with and resting upon link I 3 for added support. This relationship is maintained in and insured by the double pin arrangement i 4 which secures the leg 13 to leg II in fixed relation. In the Open position of Fig. 2, sections 24 of both members 22 rest upon link (3 and receive added support therefrom.

In combining the leg assemblies with a cross bar 3|, such as a 2 x 4 timber to create the assembly shown in Fig. 1, the cross bar is normally laid flat upon the ground or floor and the leg assemblies placed thereover in folded position with the members 22 about the cross bar. The lower ends of the leg assemblies as viewed in Fig. 4 are then spread apart and the toggle assembly moved to the position shown in Fig. 2; members 22 thus being brought into firm contact and in gripping relation with the cross bar in a manner to secure it firmly. The securing of the cross bar between the members 22 is further insured by the provision of indentations 32 in the faces of members 22 which indentations project into the wood. By reason of the predetermined angular relation of members 22 with respect to the upper ends of the leg, the nesting of the cross bar between the members 22 flush against all the surfaces thereof insures the proper angular relation of the legs as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. No adjustments of any nature are required, and the resultant assembly will be found to set firmly upon a substantially level surface.

It is preferred that some means be provided to vary the effective lengths of legs II and I2 so that the resultant trestle can be of different heights. For this purpose, the inner surface of the lower end of each leg as shown in Fig. is formed with a series of upwardly and inwardly extending notches 33 and a plurality of holes 34 through the channel walls, the spacing between notches 33 and the spacing between holes 34 being preferably the same. A separate channel member preferably of slightly larger dimensions than the leg, is fitted about the lower end of the leg and arranged to nest therewith as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the bottom of the channel section 35 being preferably formed with a flanged or footed section 36 to insure better engagement of the leg with the fioor 01' like supporting surface. Member 35 is cut away at its upper end at 3? to provide an elongated opening and provided with a pin 38 extending through the opposin walls thereof. In assembling member35 upon the leg, the member is turned clockwise approximately degrees from the position shown in Fig. 5 and the bottom end of the leg inserted through the relatively large aperture formed by the cutting off of the channel at 31 and defined by the side walls of the channel, the rear wall thereof and pin 38. Pin 38 may be positioned in any desired notch 33 and channel section 35 rotated counterclockwise thereabout to the position shown in Fig. 2. In this position, an aperture 39 in section 35 will be aligned with one of apertures 34 in the leg whereupon a bolt 4| may be passed therethrough and secured as by a thumb nut 42. Preferably the spacing of notches 33 relative to holes 34 is such that the weight of the leg is brought upon pin 38 and its corresponding notch rather than upon bolt 4|. This construction enables the effective lengths of legs H and I2 to be readily varied while at the same time maintaining a relative rigid leg structure, this resulting in part from the nested relation of channel section 35 about the leg. Preferably the leg assembly as shown in Fig. 2 is of a height of about 24", the adjustments being made in 2" increments.

To eliminate loose play between the ends of the various linkages mounted in the leg channels, I preferably indent portions of the channel surrounding the holes in which the linkage pins are received in the manner shown at the upper end of Fig. 3 wherein an indentation 43 is formed only on one side of the channel or in the manner shown in Fig. 8 wherein indentations 44 and 45 are provided on opposite sides of the channel, the inner surfaces of the indentations thus formed being spaced apart just sufliciently to receive the adjacent end of the linkage, suitable apertures being provided in the centers of the indentations for the pins. With the arrangement shown in Fig. 8, it is thus possible to bring all the rivet or pin heads within the dimensions of the leg channels and provide substantially flush surfaces.

While I have illustrated the trestle leg assembly of my invention as part of a trestle Or horse, it is to he understood that it is adaptable to other uses such as in scaffolding and the like. Where the assembly is to be used upon finished floors such as in setting up banquet tables in hotels, a foot of rubber, fabric or similar soft material can be applied over feet 36.

It is to be understood that my invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A foldable trestle leg assembly for use in supporting a cross bar at the top thereof, comprising: a pair of channel-shaped legs pivotally connected relative to one another adjacent their upper ends; means below the pivotal connection including a toggle assembly for expanding the legs below the pivotal connection and locking the legs with the upper ends thereof in predetermined spaced relation to grip a cross bar; a separate channel section of larger size than the legs nested about the being provided with a pin arranged to be engaged in one of said notches when in adjusted position and nested about the leg; and means to lock each channel section in such adjusted position.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the upper ends of the separate channel sections are cut away to enable each section to pivot about the pin and the pin to be removed from the engaging notch when the channel is unlocked to enable movement of the pin into another selected notch.

3. A foldable trestle leg assembly for use in supporting a cross bar at the top thereof, comprising: a pair of channel-shaped legs positioned with their open faces facing inwardly; a link of less Width than the channel and having its ends secured in the channels to pivotally connect said legs; and a toggle assembly below said link including separate links of less width than the channels and having their ends secured in the channels to expand the legs below the pivotal connection and lock the legsin expanded position with the upper ends thereof in predetermined spaced relation to grip a cross bar, the portions of the channels adjacent the ends of the links being indented to form link engaging sections of approximately the same width as the thickness of the links.

4. A foldable trestle leg assembly of the type adapted to receive a cross bar at its upper end and to be outwardly inclined in its operative bar supporting position at an angle to a vertical plane passing transversely through the bar at the upper end of the assembly, comprising: a pair of downwardly diverging outwardly inclined legs operatively arranged with their upper ends horizontally spaced to receive a cross bar; a link adjacent to the bottom of the bar receiving space for connecting the diverging legs pivotally to each other; a toggle assembly spaced substantially below the link for releasably locking the legs in diverging relationship; and a pair of L-shaped members arranged in opposed relationship in the bar receiving space between the upper ends of the legs and secured thereto, to provide the sides and bottom of an upwardly open bar receiving 6 channel, said members being positioned when the downwardly diverging legs are in their outwardly inclined bar supporting position to present a pair of opposed substantially vertical side erative bar supporting position of the assembly;

and said horizontal shelves resting against the upper edge of said link when the trestle is in its operative bar supporting position.

5. The trestle leg assembly of claim 4 wherein the upper end portion of each leg is in the form of a channel which opens inwardly toward said bar receiving space, the inward edges of the channel being shaped to extend vertically in the operative bar supporting position of the trestle; and each rail rests against the Vertical inner edges of the channel adjacent to it and is provided with a somewhat centrally disposed rigid securing lug extending into the channel of the leg adjacent to it; and means for securing said lug in said channel.

HARRY B. IMES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 574,866 Jones Jan. 5, 1897 657,648 Davidson Sept. 11, 1900 1,153,470 Wagner Sept. 14, 1915 1,243,520 Helwig Oct. 16, 1917 1,485,251 Davis Feb. 26, 1924 1,592,354 Gaffers July 13, 1926 1,682,671 Gooding Aug. 28, 1928 2,158,939 Hussey May 16, 1939 2,198,956 Thielepape Apr. 30, 1940 

